Mayor de Blasio has just announced to the world that New York will divest the city’s pension funds from the fossil fuel industry. As if that wasn’t a big enough moment on its own, there’s more. New York City has also launched a lawsuit against some of the biggest oil and gas corporations for the damage caused by climate change.
“It’s time for big oil to take responsibility for the devastation they have wrought.”-@NYCMayor pic.twitter.com/EPkTGKfR1Z
— NYC Mayor’s Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) January 10, 2018
For a city as iconic as New York to take a public stand on such a huge scale shows the tide is beginning to turn in our climate fight. Can you help us by sharing the news on social media and ask your networks to sign the Fossil Free pledge too?
New York could trigger a wave of action against the fossil fuel industry from other powerful cities around the world. For that to happen, we need as many people as possible, from every part of the world to demand change. So let’s use this moment to crank up the dial and step up on a massive global scale.
When we dreamed up the idea of fossil fuel divestment in 2012 we were thinking: some colleges and some churches will do this. We didn’t dare dream that half a decade later the richest city on earth would be leading the charge, adding $200 billion to the nearly $6 trillion in endowments and portfolios that have already been engaged.
People in New York know the real cost of climate change in the aftermath of hurricane Sandy. Instead of feeling powerless, New Yorkers picked themselves up and set to work creating powerful community-led groups like DivestNY, and others. Today’s announcement wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of thousands of New Yorkers working together for change.
There have been a series of announcements in recent weeks that means there is real hope for the future. Norway announced its state oil fund will from oil and gas. France announced it would ban any new oil and gas exploration anywhere on its territory. The World Bank, a bastion of global capitalism announced it would cease funding new fossil free projects anywhere in the world.
Momentum is on our side, and we are at the beginning of something truly awe-inspiring in 2018. And that’s thanks to ordinary folks coming together to stand up to the fossil fuel industry. Our future is a Fossil Free one.
Will you help by sharing this news and ask your friends and family to sign the Fossil Free pledge? We’ve got a hugely ambitious new plan to ensure New York’s announcement is totally eclipsed by the end of this year. Join us for the ride.